What to watch when trimming

Maintaining trees and other plants around school property is a vital part of ensuring the safety of students and staff.

According to the Ministry of Education, trees need to be regularly trimmed. “If they get too big, the become costly to maintain and difficult to remove,” the MOE says.

“Large trees can also be a hazard in high winds and can block light and affect neighbours.”

It says trees can also be a health and safety hazard around a swimming pool.

“Remove trees close to the swimming pool to prevent leaves and branches falling in and contaminating the water, and prevent people trying to jump from the tree into the pool.”

However, some trees are protected and the local council or

Heritage New Zealand should be contacted regarding this.

According to the Department of Conservation (DOC), around 10-15 percent of the total land area of New Zealand is covered with native flora.

“Eighty percent of our trees, ferns and flowering plants are endemic,” DOC says. This means many trees in New Zealand are protected and could be on school property.

Trees, such as Pohutukawa, totara and kauri are part of this rule and, therefore, people ought to take care when dealing with the maintenance or removal of such trees.

Local councils will be able to advise on this.

The MOE says schools may also need resource consent for activities around protected trees such as excavating or digging, depositing material close to the tree, construction work, putting in pipes or power lines or storing things under the tree.

The Property Maintenance Grant (PMG) can assist with costs around maintaining trees and such on school property.

It’s a grant provided by the ministry as part of operational funding. The fund is paid into the school’s bank account in quarterly instalments, along with operational funding.

The MOE says maintenance applicable for the grant includes general maintenance and painting for school buildings, ground maintenance and swimming pool maintenance.

MOE states that the PMG covers general maintenance work on trees such as trimming and removing dead branches and the removal of a protected tree, providing council consent has been sought.

For more information, visit: www.education.govt.nz or www.doc.govt.nz.